Frank Herbert’s Dune is getting chatter because a new film will be released at the end of the year. People have strong feelings and the latest version looks to be . . . not as we expected.
I wrote in my book an Enneagram storytelling review of David Lynch’s version. His Dune is a weird movie with some gaping holes in its structure, but it’s also endearing for being so very, very strange.
So, what Enneagram personality number is Paul Atreides/Muad’Dib?
I haven’t read the book in decades and I won’t read it now. Let’s assume that Kyle MacLachlan’s Paul is definitive for understanding his Enneagram, okay?
The trickiest part about guessing a character’s Enneagram number is that some human, who has an Enneagram number of his own, portrays him. Which traits are Paul’s and which are Kyle’s?
Physicality will be the greatest stumbling block in deciphering numbers. Casting directors may not find a body that matches what the character’s Enneagram build should be. Also, via movie magic, what do we actually know about the actor? Tall in real life, or short? Are they swole/lean for the specifics of the part? For instance, what does someone like Christian Bale, pumped for Batman and starved for The Machinist, actually look like when he’s comfortably himself?
The minute I focus in, though, I can make some decisions.
Paul is a Nine. He kind of has to be, yes? He’s physical. He can hold his own throughout his military training. He rides the worm competently, which may be part of his destiny but it’s also a physical manifestation.
He’s a diplomat, as the best Nines are. He balances the royal side of being Atreides with the Fremen sympathies. Again, the story suggests that Paul excels at these things because he’s a messiah, but these are comfort zone traits for a Nine. He ends up marrying for political reasons, which is one of those Nine moves that feels coldly calculated to Heart Type people.
He also, when the story reaches fruition, brings the righteous fire. Most Nines aren’t put in life or death situations where they must rouse themselves to this trait, but it lurks in all of them. The sleeper must awaken, baby. MacLachlan communicates all of these Nine qualities, so that’s good. His own personal Enneagram number is a mystery to me, which speaks well for his acting. I would guess, though, that he’s not a Nine himself. The physicality isn’t there, at least in this role. The new film has cast Timothee Chalamet as Paul. He doesn’t look physical enough, either, to be a Nine in real life.
But Paul is a Nine. Seems like trouble is a-brewing for this interpretation of Herbert’s classic.